$150,000 sought for City cenotaph upgrade THE $516.000 project to restore the cenotaph in North Vancouver City’s Victoria Park kicked off Monday with the first pub- lic donation received cour- tesy of Senator Ray Perrault, chairman of the fundraising campaign. NORTH VANCOUVER . CITY & DISTRICT COUNCILS By Martin Millerchip and Robert Galster “This is an opportunity for our community to work together.” said Perrault. “No racial or religious or political lines here just’ community effort to get the job done.” Perrault and committee executive Broc Braconnier appeared before both North Vancouver City and District Councils Monday night to spread the word about fundraising. In an obvious effort to col- ‘leet-a personal contribution from Mayor Murray Dykeman. Perrault told district council that the second dona- tion cheque had been reserved for Mayor Jack Loucks. ~ “This is to be a peace © memorial, not a war memori- “al,” said Perrault. | But he reminded council of George Santayana’s famous quote: “Those who cannot Temember «the past are con- demned to repeat it.” See November page $ THE NORTH Shore is about to be gripped by some severe labor pains. By Ian Noble : and then written off at year end, From page 1 opment.” At the end of March 1994, the college owed [9 employees $56,550 under this “reimbursable accounts and flexible benefits’ and seven employees owed $14,596 to the col- lege in this deal. The audit found formal policies in place that waived fees for stu- dents on athletic scholarships and for seniors. There was also an “informal undocumented “policy that deans and senior administrators could waive tuidion at their discretion. Capilano College — president Doug Jardine told auditors that he “regularly” waives tuition fees “to attract top students” without docu- menting the approval. Waived tuition: in amounted to $112,729. No documentation for waived tuition was found in 43% of the cases examined. The audit was unable to deter- mine if administrators’ friends received free tuition. The audit found one singing telegram was purchased with col- lege funds, but found no evidence of baby carriages being bought at the public's expense. ‘College-paid expenses “which may not be appropriate for provin- cially funded agencies” included purchases of get-well gifts along with food and drinks (including liquor) for Christmas and retirement staff parties, The audit found travel claims without invoices, paid business lunches with no explanations, accountable advances which were not followed by an expense claim 1993-1904 The audit found no evidence that overtime was being paid. but not recorded as overtime. But auditors expressed “some concerns” about paying overtime cquivalents to faculty and administrators. Banked overtime can be used to buy comput- ers or “additional professional development" from pre-tax carnings. On March 31; 1994, the faculty overtime equivalent bank amounted to $933.400 with administrators’ accrued vacation, flexible bene- proposal later in the day to employers. Friday morning the union would present a NEWS photo Torry | Potera CAPILANO COLLEGE Board chairman Robin Wilson said there was no wrongdoing associated with, problems at the college revealed in a recently released audit by the province. fits and = reimbursable accounts $317,000. The audit found no evidence to support an allegation concerning employees buying comput- ers without paying for them. But, again, auditors expressed concern about income tax implications as no interest was charged when employees paid for computers through payroll deductions. Auditors ‘found that outstanding employee lotalling . Health, municipal workers set to strike David Stuart, both bargaining on the employers’ side, were not available for the district’s crimes : News Reporter ~ ..°. On Thursday, municipal Canadian Union -_ of Public Employees (CUPE) workers on the .North Shore .solidly endorsed strike action, while North Shore Union Board of Health members walked off the job for two hours. The strong vote favoring strike action by _ CUPE Local 389, which includes about 800 * inside and outside municipal workers on the -North Shore, revealed that members’ patience is running out in bargaining with the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), said Local 389 president Mike Hocevar. Members have been without a contract since Dec, 3!, 1993. Four votes were taken Thursday. Figures” supplied by Hocevar show recreation centre employees voted 61% in favor of strike action, city workers 82%, North Vancouver District ‘employees 72% and public health inspectors with the North Shore Union Board of Health - (NSUBH) 89%. _ Hocevar, a member of CUPE’s bargaining - unit in the Lower Mainiand-wide dispute, said idn the proposal, the union softened its . wage demands and addressed the hours-of- work issue that has deeply divided the two sides. CUPE workers on the North Shore are cur- rently paid between $9.48 and $25.31 per hour. Hocevar said he could not provide further proposal details because local union represen- tatives had not seen the document. He said the “last employers’ contract proposal offered less than what union members now receive. “We know times are tough, but this isn’t Alberta,” Hocevar said. No strike date has been set, he said. “If things go badly in bargaining this weekend you never know, but 1 don’t like to think negatively,” he added. Before union members can legally strike. they must ask the mediator to book out and serve 72 hours strike notice. A CUPE strike would affect municipal ser- vices ranging from libraries to road repair to garbage pickup... North Vancouver City’s Richard Shore and comment to press time Friday. Meanwhile, 80 Health Sciences Association, members at the NSUBH — including physiotherapists, psychologists, dieticians and occupational therapists who serve patients in their homes — walked off the job Thursday and discussed strike action, said HSA senior labor relations officer Julio Trujillo. The union, he said, gave the GVRD 72- hour strike notice on Feb. | and is in a legal strike position. He added that escalating job action is possible and if the employer does not show any movement, “it leaves us with little alternative very quickly.” “We would have to get some positive signs within the next two weeks,” Trujillo added. Seventy NSUBH nurses have indicated they will honor HSA picket lines and reduce their numbers to essential-services levels. If that happens. nurses will not accept any new home-nursing patients and will only serve patients if they cannot receive nursing services ‘from others. said B.C. Nurses’ Association president Ivory Warner, computer loans amounted to $160,000 on March 31, 1994. Auditors did find that audio and video equipment for student: use ended up in the homes of faculty members. But faculty can use the equip- ment for college purposes at home. The audit states that “faculty are not required to return equipment at the end of term” and in one case, a fac- ulty member who signed out $700 worth of equipment said he did not have it. Concerning the allegation of fac- ulty members using college facili- ties while moonlighting, auditors found that many faculty members run their own businesses and “the college has no way of knowing if they make use of college facilities and time.” . One exception noted involved a staff member who has since been terminated, Wilson declined to offer details of the business operated by the ter- minate cmplayec. She said the college board will be presenting policy changes at an April meeting to deal with the issues. and recommendations addressed in the audit report. She said the college is develop- ing an “action plan’ as suggested by the ministry. Revenue Canada has ed in” “We are a teally well-managed institution, Our students come first,” said Wilson, who decided to be “pro-active” about the audit by give, ing copies to the media. ‘ She pointed to rapid growth at the college as a possible explanation for the policy shortfall, Meanwhile Labor, Skills and Training Minister Dan, Miller agreed that a lack of policy is likely at the root of the problems a: ‘the res been invit- college. “ve described it as not falling -i in the’ major category,” he said. ’ “But I don't want to dismiss it'all.” The release of the Capilano College audit comes on the heels of reports that four North Vancouver School District 44 senior administra- tors received nearly $300,000 in sick- -pay benefits from a cash-strapped ministry when they. left their jobs. a However, the HSA will decide what action: will be taken by nurses, who also work in pub- lic and school health Programs and pre-natal clinics, she said. “Nurses understand from their strike (in the summer of 1994) it is necessary to have support from co-workers,”.she said. Trujillo said the GVRD is more concerned about its negotiations ‘with CUPE members than NSUBH members. . NSUBH members have also been without a contract since Dec. 31, 1993. An HSA press release said NSUBH workers -are seeking’ wage parity with hospital-based HSA work- ers, For paramedical staff such as occupation- al therapists, that would mean a 10% wage. hike, said Trujillo. . Salaries for unionized NSUBH workers currently range. from $463 per week for cleri- cal staff to $962 per week for professional staff. GVRD labor ‘relations manager Mark Leffler would not discuss HSA negotiations. However, he said no discussions were scheduled and lumped the HSA members in | with CUPE members, saying there are mem- bers in both unions who perform similar tasks. Trujillo rejects that assessment. He. said HSA members are health workers, “not just another civic group.” ;